GuardianDragon98 - Yep, Cloudfire! And yeah he is so pure and trying so hard bless him!
-HTTYD-
If Valka had carried any lingering doubts about Eret, she was soon to happen across something that completely convinced her. Going in search of her fellow friend-to-dragons to ask if ehe was up for flying practice, Valka found Tripfire with her face in Eret's bowl of half-eaten stew. Nearby, her rider lay, shirtless and sleeping, surrounded by baby dragons. He covered his scar so often and Valka knew it made him feel guilty, to have been a trapper before, and so he hid the scar as though it shamed him often. So his lack of top covering was noticeable all by itself.
But the comfort... to fall asleep out there, where any number of dragons could pass him by? It proved Eret trusted the dragons enough to be that level of vulnerable, and that the babies (and by association, their parents) felt comfortable enough to all wriggle up next to him and take a nap themselves. Valka felt her heart squeeze tight in her chest, indescribably proud of Eret and how far he had already come.
Tripfire noticed Valka watching, lowering her head and ruffling her wings as if ready to defend her sleeping human.
"I mean no harm, I'm happy he's settling here."
She approached Tripfire slowly, reached out with her hand and let Tripfire come to her. After a cursory sniff, Valka felt scales on her hand, smiled at the dragon who allowed her to stroke fingers under her chin. Tripfire was taking longer than Eret to settle down, but more time spent near the Alpha did calm her and Valka felt progress was good. Well, except for Cloudjumper, who was still having no luck charming Tripfire, though it was incredibly sweet to watch him try. He'd toned down a little, seeing that Tripfire did not like feeling cornered, and now she no longer growled at him.
So, progress.
Leaving Eret and the babes to their nap, Valka took herself off to enjoy some tea while she waited for him to wake up. She could go flying without him, certainly, but she'd promised to help him improve and, since he had put so much time and effort into fine-tuning a saddle that worked for him and didn't bother his dragon any, Valka figured he deserved the effort from her. Cloudjumper was hardly going to complain either, given the choice between going flying with Tripfire and not going flying with Tripfire.
Heading back out to investigate, Eret's laughing protests reached her ears before the sight of him being repeatedly licked by not only his dragon, but several of the babies too - they obviously decided to follow Tripfire's lead, and so Eret was soaked in dragon spit and covered in overly affectionate reptiles.
"Valka! Help!"
"Oh no, I think you are doing just fine!"
She giggled to herself as Eret fought to get free, though Valka suspected he wasn't really trying all that hard. Tripfire eventually nudged the babies off him, which he thanked her for as he stood up and frowned at the mess they'd made of him.
"So, did you need something Valka? Or did you just turn up to watch me lose a fight to baby Nadders?"
"I came to ask if you wanted to go flying, but you were sleeping. Then I came to see if you were awake."
"Oh" Eret wiped ineffectively at his chest, and Valka saw the way he gave touching his scar a wide berth "sure. Let me just go get cleaned up."
He threw a glare at Tripfire, but there was no malice in it and she happily ambled after him as he walked through to find the wash bucket they now had to keep specifically for Eret to clean Tripfire off of him between baths.
"No! This is clean on and if you start licking me again we can't go flying."
Tripfire huffed, then snuck a single lick to Eret's face before bounding off and laughing to herself as he wiped it off.
"Cloudjumper brings you flowers to show affection but noooo, I get drooled on."
Clutching her stomach as Eret looked so put out while Tripfire looked so smug, Valka tried to slow her laughing down enough to catch her breath.
"Cloudjumper brings me flowers so I can paint. If you could make paint out of dragon saliva, I'm sure Tripfire would oblige you there just as happily."
Pretending to mock her before he grinned widely, Eret retrieved his saddle and Tripfire leant forward to let him attach it carefully.
"Come on then girl, lets get going."
Up in the sky, Eret's comfort was visibly increasing and he was much better at height now, adjusting to the thin air and they'd developed hand signals for if he was feeling dizzy or unwell. The grip on his saddle was secure enough that even when Tripfire rolled unexpectedly and he fell from the actual saddle, he could hold on. Tripfire also knew what Eret's scream sounded like now, and caught him much faster if he did fall.
"You want to try again?"
"Nope! You're insane, you know that?"
"You tell me often enough! Come on, Tripfire will catch you."
Eret visibly gulped as his dragon leveled into a steady glide, but Valka saw him draw his legs up into a sort of ungainly squat, still holding on to the saddle grip all the while.
"Don't drop me girl."
He let go, straightening up with a wobble that almost had Valka worried before he stood tall, looking around in awe at himself that he was upright and not tipping over. Granted, it was easier for him to stand on the saddle than just the moving neck and wing joints of a Stormcutter, but it was an accomplishment nonetheless, particularly for somebody who had only been flying a little over a month or so.
"Oh wow this is terrifying!"
"In a good way?"
"Yes!"
Valka smiled; Eret beamed, though she could see his knees were somewhat shaky with the rush that coursed through his blood. He sat back down soon enough, but Valka thought they may be able to start coming up with an anonymous flight suit for him sooner rather than later as he found the range of movement he needed to climb up and down on dragonback. They landed a little while later, and Eret stumbled from the back of his dragon straight into Valka, who'd been expecting it and moved to catch him.
"Thanks. My legs feel funny."
"They will at first, it's not easy but you have managed much better than I expected."
His fingers were warm against the bare skin of her wrist where he'd gripped her for stability, her pulse fluttering under the pressure until Eret let go, turning to check on Tripfire. Valka looked away herself, saw Cloudjumper had found a little patch of water to drink from. Tripfire hesitated, but she eventually headed over to join him and Valka saw the effort Cloudjumper put in to not getting too visibly excited. He was adorable.
"Is there really nobody else out there like you? I mean before, I always assumed you were one axe short of an armoury, but now... I feel like it's impossible nobody else has noticed these guys are pretty cool."
Valka hesitated in her answer, unsure where to draw the line at defending the secrets of her friends. But if Eret stayed with her long term, he'd find out eventually, surely?
"I know a few who live with them peacefully, yes. Not quite the way I do, but in their own ways."
Eret blinked, surprised.
"Huh. Cool. What are they like?"
"Well... they probably wouldn't like you much, but then if I hadn't seen this for myself" Valka gestured between he and Tripfire "I doubt I'd like you much either."
"Are you saying you like me? I'm so touched!"
Tsking, Valka turned away from Eret.
"You just had to go and ruin it didn't you?"
"It's a skill. Should we head back? Someone stole my lunch and I'm kinda hungry."
She remembered seeing Tripfire having polished off Eret's stew, supposed it was fair he get the chance to eat again since she'd been the one to suggest flying. They saddled up and set off for the mountain again, Eret tempting Tripfire with some fish before he heated up more stew for himself.
"Do you see these others who live with dragons often?"
"Sometimes our paths cross. Why the sudden interest?"
Eret chewed thoughtfully, stirring his bowl to bring up more chunks of meat from the bottom.
"Curiousity I guess. I'm wondering if they are all as mad as you. I can stop asking if you want."
Valka relaxed, remembering what she'd seen earlier; Eret wasn't trying to scout out more dragon nests to capture. He was there to help her. He'd chosen the right side.
"Perhaps I'll take you to meet them sometime. So long as Tripfire can behave herself if they're wary of you."
The Stormcutter in question huffed and curled her tail around Eret protectively, nuzzling his head before sniffing hopefully at his stew.
"You had some earlier, back off would ya?"
"Hmmph."
Cloudjumper watched her, wistful, before turning to bump his head against Valka for chin scratchies that she happily offered him, heart warmed by his soft noises and relaxed posture. Eret was then drafted into similar by his dragon, who also wanted attention. And stew. But mostly attention.
Valka hadn't been kidding about wary, Eret realised, when he was held at the business end of no less than three very sharp weapons, several more nearby looking keen to join in the waving of sharp things. Before Valka had had much chance to introduce Eret, someone had caught sight of his branded chest when his tunic stretched open as he climbed down from his dragon.
"Valka! I am going to assume there is a sane reason you would ever bring somebody like him onto our island!"
Seeing his dragon was quite set on freeing Eret by lethal force if needed, Eret whistled to her until Tripfire turned to him.
"It's ok Tripfire, please don't set fire to them."
The blonde woman, tall as Valka and with an equally intriguing accent, seemed to be the leader of the tribe. Maybe Valka hadn't been exaggerating when she referred to Mala as 'the queen'. Eret just hadn't been aware there were truly matriarchal societies; where he grew up, it was community based more than anything but there were a few male-led traditions.
"Mala, I promise you he poses no threat. I just didn't think I could explain it all in a letter that could well be intercepted."
Arms crossed as she surveyed the visitors to the island, Mala made a silent sweeping gesture to the villagers clad in hoods, obscuring much of their facial features and leaving him feeling like they were always ready to fight.
"Throk, keep an eye on him. Valka, with me."
"Yes my queen."
Valka threw him what he supposed ought to have been a reassuring smile, but the effect was dulled somewhat by the fact this 'Throk' guy looked like he would happily remove Eret's guts and have them for breakfast. Keeping his movements slow and deliberate, Eret edged over to Tripfire, reaching up to rub her scales and calm her, hoping to lessen the friction. Throk shadowed him closely, as though Eret might hurt his dragon.
"If it makes you feel better, and you promise not to damage them, I'll take off my swords. My father made them for me, so I don't want to lose them but I'm not here for a fight."
He felt incredibly vulnerable when he did so, holding them out to Throk warily - the island had a pretty big volcano, Eret's weapons would stand no chance if they wanted to destroy them. Tripfire shuffled closer, all but laying her head atop Eret's and he suspected if there were room, she'd wrap her wings around him protectively too.
"Interesting craftmanship. Where is it you hail from, trapper?"
"I don't know how well it would translate in these parts, so suffice to say my tribe lives very far up north."
Wearing clothes made from linens rather than only leather and animal skin had been unusual for Eret until he was a teenager and began sailing, since his tribe lived largely on things like reindeer and fishing. But at least it wasn't as cold down south where the Vikings lived, so he hadn't needed so much fur anymore. He kept his shoulder wrap, pinned with the owl pin that had been his first successful attempt at metal working.
"I see. Commend your blacksmith upon your return. If you are allowed to leave alive, that is."
Tripfire growled, and while he couldn't see her eyes Eret knew she'd be glaring in warning. Throk didn't seem the slightest bit inclined to argue or threaten Tripfire, only Eret, but then Valka had said the Defenders Of The Wing were incredibly protective and loving to all dragons.
"You may release him Throk."
Mala and Valka reappeared, Cloudjumper looking a little... drunk? as he followed, nudging Valka playfully the second she stood still.
"My queen?"
"Valka has vouched for him, and the dragon clearly trusts him. I accept her judgement. If he proves himself unworthy of such trust, I will let you throw him into The Nest."
Throk frowned, but acquiesced to his leader. Tripfire straightened up, eyeing Mala with open suspicion as the queen approached, looking to Eret first.
"May I?"
"Oh. Sure, but I can't tell her what to do. She tells me."
Mala approached calmly, meeting Tripfire's eye, holding her hand out slowly. Whether she'd taught herself or been taught by Valka, he wasn't sure, but Tripfire sniffed her before pressing forward with a soft huff.
"Would you like some sagefruit?"
It looked kinda weird, not something Eret had ever seen before, and Tripfire looked to him for assurance. Eret looked to Valka, who nodded.
"It's perfectly safe."
"Go nuts Tripfire."
She took it, starting with a tentative bite much like whenever Eret offered her his food for the first time. Finding it quite agreeable, she swallowed the rest of the fruit in two bites, licking the juice from her nose plates and grinning at Eret.
"Good?"
When she licked him, her tongue was sticky and her laugh more smug than usual. Eret wiped his face, rolling his eyes.
"Not in front of everyone, gods!"
That only spurred her to do it more, much to everyone elses amusement. Unusually, she lost interest after a minute or so, instead stretching her wings out before flopping down and smiling at him like she was about to fall asleep.
"Uh, Tripfire? You ok girl?"
"It is the effect of the sagefruit. It makes dragons more docile. Which helps us with interacting with wild dragons."
"Oh. Ok. She's gonna be ok though right?"
"Yes, of course. We would never bring harm to a dragon."
Now realising why Cloudjumper looked half-drunk, Eret nodded at Mala. It was nice to see Tripfire so relaxed, now he knew it was a safe kind of relaxed.
"Come. You made it in time for dinner."
As if on cue, Eret's stomach rumbled and a few of the nearby villagers laughed. Eret paid it little mind - there was food on offer.
"Sounds good to me."
He perched next to Valka at one of the tables, not recognising half the food there in front of them but he tried one of almost everything, and most of it was pretty good. Their wine was nice too, left him feeling kind of warm and fuzzy inside. The villagers lowered their hoods for meals, and Eret would have been lying if he said he didn't notice a few of said villagers - female and male alike - were giving him the sort of looks that usually led to tipsy nights in tavern rooms, or on ships he crewed in his younger days before he got his own.
"Are you sure you do not want accomodation Valka? It is no trouble."
"Oh no, I'm fine Mala. I'll sleep with Cloudjumper."
"Suit yourself. Eret?"
Eret looked up at Mala from where he was sat examining Throk's blade - they'd been comparing notes on weaponry - and saw a look from one of the Defenders that he knew meant something. That if he accepted some sort of private room, they'd happily accompany him to it. Eret had thrived on such looks whenever he needed a break from trapping, a drink and a fuck to take his mind off the whole fear for his life thing under Drago.
Then he glanced over at Valka, with her gentle voice and soft smile and her patience in teaching him a better way. Eret didn't need to lose himself anymore, to forget where he'd be going or to take every night like it might be his last, knowing survival was never really guaranteed with Drago.
"Nah, I'm good. Tripfire wouldn't let me sleep alone anyway, but thanks."
They did give Eret and Valka furs in case the night was cold, but Tripfire's belly was more than warm enough to sleep against, the stones the dragons settled on for side-sleeping rather than hanging pre-warmed for comfort. Valka looked over at Eret, looking like she was trying to work out something confusing about him.
"What?"
"You didn't have to sleep out here. I can't imagine it's more fun than what Mikkel had in mind for you."
He shrugged, rubbing Tripfire's chest and smiling as she let out a happy little noise.
"I'd rather be here."
-HTTYD-
I know if Valka and Mala had met (the bisexual energy would have killed us all) then the Defenders would have probably been a lot less confused and suspicious of Hiccup and co. But it's not like RTTE thrives on continuity anyway, so I'll have the Queen and the feral dragon mom be buds!